Midnight in Salem
by thesilentauthor24
Summary: Nancy, Deirdre, and Ned travel to Salem to investigate an arson case.
1. Prologue

It was midnight on October 21st. Amelia Johnson was just getting ready for bed when she noticed movement outside of her bedroom window. Moving closer to the window she said to her husband, "Jim can you come here? I think I saw something out the window."

Jim grumbled. He was already in bed and he wasn't ready to leave its warmth.

Amelia said a bit more forcefully, "Jim come here! There's something going on in the street."

An arm reached out from under the covers and felt around for the glasses on the nightstand. Jim sat up and walked over to where his wife was, then looked out the window.

"Well? Do you see what I see?"

"A star shining in the night?"

Amelia glared at Jim. "This is not the time to be funny. Who is that out there?"

Jim rubbed his eyes and looked again. Outside on the dark street, he could see someone...or something...moving. He watched a few more moments and the figure shifted into a beam of light from a street lamp.

"It's a kid!" Jim said shocked, "Dancing? At this time of night and past curfew?"

"It looks almost like Jason Danforth, but I can't quite tell from here."

"Steven's boy? Keep an eye on him, Ames. I'm going to call the police and then the judge."

As Amelia watched, the scene began to change. The figure below continued dancing around the street while a thick fog began to roll in. Winds began to pick up and shake the trees. Suddenly, the figure stopped. Amelia was about to call for her husband, when the figure took off running.

Jim walked back over. "The police are on their way. Is the figure still there?"

"No. Whoever was out there just ran off."

A low buzz began. Amelia walked over and answered the vibrating phone.

A frantic voice rang out through the room. "Amy did you see that?"

It took a second before she realized that it was her neighbor, Nikki. "Are you talking about the scene in the street?"

"Yes! It was the Danforth boy, I'd bet on it. Harold called the police and they are on the way. Thought you'd like to know."

"I had Jim call too. Let's just stay calm until they come. The police will get to the bottom of this."

* * *

At the Salem police department, the phones were ringing off the hook. Captain Reynolds was looking for a team to investigate. They had been receiving calls about some teenager causing some sort of disturbance by dancing.

"People's imaginations are really in motion tonight. Probably just some cat." Reynolds thought as he prepared a cup of coffee.

"Captain! Captain! We just got a call that the Hawthorne House is on fire!" A detective came running into the break room.

"Okay, okay Peters. Get a squad together to help with crowd control and radio the group that is investigating the dancing incident so they know what is going on. I'll come too for support."

"Thanks, Captain." Peters left as fast as he had come.

"So much for a quiet night. First the dancing, now a fire. What's really going on here?" Captain Reynolds wondered.

* * *

Jason Danforth groaned and thought "why is it so hot? Ugh and why does my head hurt like this? Has it ever hurt like this?" He opened his eyes and another set of eyes met his. He screamed. The other eyes glowed red from the fireplace. Jason backed away and tried to find a way out. He struggled towards the door and jiggled the handle. It was locked!

He ran towards the window and tripped. Crawling to the window now, Jason reached up and smacked his hand against the window. He struggled to pull himself up. The heat and smoke were getting to him. Jason searched for a way to open the window, but it was jammed.

He looked below and saw a group gathering outside of the house. Jason began pounded and yelling, hoping that someone would hear him. The people below began searching and then saw him. Jason's head began to feel light. The room started to spin. "I have to figure something out. There has to be a way out of here."

Jason stumbled around the room. He found a stepstool and heaved it up. The stool was heavier than it looked. Jason took a few steps and lifted the stool higher. The world began to slip away as Jason threw the stool at the window. The window shattered. He collapsed and the world went black

* * *

The police pulled up to the Johnson house. Amelia and Jim Johnson were waiting outside with a few more of their neighbors. Agent Smith shut the car door and joined the group.

"Who are the Johnsons? We'll start with you guys."

Amelia Johnson pushed her way to the front with Jim following close behind.

"That would be us. We saw everything!"

Each of the neighbors took a turn telling the police what they had seen. Lieutenant James sighed. He wanted to be over at the fire where the real action was happening. His radio buzzed, "All officers come to the Hawthorne House immediately. We need back up."

"Alrighty everybody. Get back to your homes and we'll keep you updated." The lieutenant began pushing his way through the crowd, making his way to the patrol car. He unlocked the car and climbed in. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something on the seat of the car with him. Taking a closer look, Lieutenant James thought, "Oh boy, the captain is going to want to see this."

The crowd outside of the Hawthorne house was growing larger by the minute. The firefighters almost had the blaze under control when Lieutenant James arrived. James made his way to where Captain Reynolds was. Reynolds seemed to be questioning a young man.

"What were you doing in there, Jason?"

The young man frowned. "I can't remember. I don't even remember going there."

Captains Reynolds wiped his forehead. "What's the last thing you remember? Then work your way forward from there."

"It's all a blur. I remember going to school. There was a math test, I think? I was walking home and then...nothing. Last think I remember after that was waking up in that room and seeing a pair of glowing eyes." He shivered and paused a moment. "They were freaky. Reminded me of that one girl in town, Mei. I knew I had to get out. The door was locked, so I tried the window. I couldn't get that open, but before I could try to break it I had passed out. That's all I remember, sorry sir."

"Rest up, son. Let us know if you remember anything else." Captain Reynolds turned and walked away. Lieutenant James followed.

"Sir, you may want to see this." The lieutenant pressed a large envelope into the captain's hands. "I think we may have a suspect."

The captain opened the envelope to see a picture of Mei Parris in front of the Hawthorne house, struggling to open the door. He turned to Lieutenant James. "Where'd you get this?"

"It was waiting for me in the patrol car when I was coming here. Someone must've slipped it in while I was talking to the folks just down the road who called about the disturbance in the street."

"That seems pretty circumstantial, but see if you can get ahold of her. It probably wouldn't hurt to ask the girl a few questions, especially since Jason mentioned her."

Lieutenant James saluted and hurried off to the Parris home, while Captain Reynolds went on to see if anything new had been uncovered.

* * *

Mei was curled up in an armchair in the family room, reading a book. She was excited to finish, since the next book was coming out in the morning. Nighttime was Mei's favorite time. It also helped that she dealt with insomnia. Nobody would throw things at her or yell at her. Her parents weren't up to check on her. Everything was nice and peaceful.

Mei was about to start the last chapter, when a forceful knock echoed through the house. She jumped. "Maybe I imagined it," she thought. She realized she was wrong when the knock came again, even louder.

Mei's dad stumbled down the stairs and to the front door. A police officer was at the door.

Mr. Parris grumbled, "Can I help you officer?"

"Sorry for the late hour, sir, but we need to speak with your daughter. Mei is suspect in the burning down of Hawthorne House. She is to be taken in for questioning."

"Are you insane?" Mr. Parris growled. "What evidence do you have?" His skin was turning red, which usually happened when he got angry.

"There is photographic evidence and a victim believes he may have seen Mei."

"Wait, what?" Mei got out of her seat. "I've been here all day."

"I'm sorry, Mei, but we have to take you in for questioning."

"We won't stand for this. You aren't talking to Mei until our lawyer gets here." Mr. Parris stormed off.

"Officer, can you update me on what exactly is going on?"

Some time later, Mei was waiting in a holding cell. she was told that they would question her when the family lawyer came. She still had one phone call to use. "I better call Deirdre. She'll want to know. Maybe she can help," thought Mei.

Mei grabbed her cell phone and pulled up Deirdre's contact information. Mei hit the call icon and waited. After a few moments, Deirdre answered, "Hey, Mei. What's up? It's kind of early for a chat."

"Deirdre, I've been arrested for arson and a whole bunch of other things. I don't know what to do."

"Hold it. You've been arrested? Start from the beginning and don't leave anything out."

Mei told Deirdre everything the officer had told her about the case. Mei felt like crying. "Deirdre, you know how the people of this town see me. I have no chance of getting out of this. How can I prove that I am innocent?"

There was a long pause. Then Deirdre said, "Mei, I'm coming to help as soon as I can. I think I know someone who can help. Don't worry. If anyone can find the real culprit, it's Nancy Drew."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. If anyone can, it's her." A knock sounded on the cell and an officer was unlocking the gate.

"I'll call you back, Deirdre." Mei hung up. The officer told her to get up.

"You're free to go for now. There isn't enough evidence to hold you. But don't think about skipping town anytime soon, young lady."

* * *

Mei's parents were waiting outside. They ran to hug her and guided her to the car. "How are you doing, sweetie? Were they nice to you in there?" Mei's mother asked as she checked over her daughter.

"Mom, enough. I'm okay, just a little stiff from sitting so long. I'd just like to go home right now, if it's alright."

"Sure thing, sweetie. We'll be home before you know it."

The Parris family made their way down the road. Mei was lost in thought when a noise that jolted her.

"Oh no." said her mom.

"You have got to be kidding me!" her dad said through clenched teeth.

Outside of the car, there was a crowd of people with signs. It took Mei a while to realize what was going on and then she realized, the crowd was chanting, "witch, witch, kill the witch."

Mei shrank down in her seat as she tried to ignore the people outside. Her dad parked and the family tried to get inside their house, when something wet went splat against Mei's head. She teared up and looked to find an old tomato on the ground behind her.

Mr. Parris was livid. He turned and began yelling at the crowd. Mrs. Parris helped Mei inside to clean up. Mei could hear her dad screaming over the shouts of the crowd.

"Mom, maybe you should help dad. Maybe call the police or something." Mei sniffed, trying not to cry.

"But you need me more, dear."

Mei managed a smile. "Well those people are going to need help if dad gets any madder. You know how he is."

Mrs. Parris grimaced. Although Thomas Parris as a good man, father, and husband, he could be a hothead. When it came to protecting his family, he was a force of nature.

"Good point. I'll try to help your dad out and then I'll make some brownies. How does that sound?"

"Great, mom. Thanks."

Mrs. Parris left and Mei let her guard down. She sobbed. Mei had been dealing with people being afraid of her for years now because of her albinism. Her parents tried to keep it from her for a long time, even to the point of smothering her. However, her parents couldn't keep everything from her. Mei tried to grin and bear it, but the tomato was the last straw for the day.

She managed to calm down and then hunted down her cell phone. The phone was still plugged in, sitting on her desk. "Better update Deirdre what happened," she thought.

Moments later, the text was sent. Mei flopped on her bed and sighed. A little while later, she felt the familiar buzzing that signals a text. She pulled it up and read:

"I'm coming. Flight arrives 8:30 tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I will have back up. Don't worry, she's the best."

Mei raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Deirdre didn't complement many people, so when she did it meant that it was pretty sincere. She risked a peak out of the window. Mei could see her parents addressing the mob.

Mei decided to wait until they came back in to tell them Deirdre was coming and bringing a friend. She felt another buzz. The text read:

"Her name's Nancy Drew. She's solved a lot of cases and cleared a lot of people's names. Tell your parents not to worry. If anyone can clear you, it's Nancy."


	2. Chapter 1: Deirdre asks for help

The Drew house was quiet. Nancy and her two friends, Bess and George, were scattered asleep in front of the TV. They had decided to have a study party in order to get ready for finals. It was about 9:30 when the doorbell rang.

Hannah Gruen, the Drew's housekeeper, carefully made her way over the mess of textbooks, notes, and leftover junk food to answer the door. Bess mumbled in her sleep, "No... I don't remember how to conjugate jugar," and then rolled over onto a chemistry book.

Hannah smiled and shook her head as she opened the door. Three young men were outside, holding a box of donuts. "Come on in, boys. The girls are still asleep."

"Thanks, Hannah," said Ned. "We'll wake them up for you."

Ned, Dave, and Burt were students at Emerson College. They knew their girlfriends had been studying and thought it would be fun to surprise them.

Dave wandered over to Bess. Burt whispered to Ned, "5 bucks says she decks him for waking her up."

"No way. I don't make bets I know I have no chance of winning." Ned smirked. He knew Bess well enough to know that she didn't like to be woken up.

Ned spotted Nancy buried in a pile of blankets on the couch. He snuck up to where she was, prepared to scare her awake when an arm flew out at him. A familiar voice, "Not today, Nickerson."

Ned laughed. He knew Nancy was impossible to scare, but he still liked to try anyway. He saw it as revenge for the times she managed to scare him. "We brought breakfast, sweetie."

Nancy popped out from under her nest of blankets to hug her boyfriend. "I hope Dave didn't try to wake Bess..." A loud yell broke through, interrupting what Nancy was about to say. She winced. "He really should know better by now."

Bess rushed passed Nancy and Ned and flew up the stairs.

"She didn't have to hit so hard!" Dave groaned.

"She actually hit you? Good thing you didn't bet Ned." Burt smiled.

"Bess didn't hit me herself," said Dave, "she threw a really hard pillow at me."

"Serves you right!" Bess yelled from upstairs.

"Don't worry. She'll be back down here picture perfect in another 5 minutes," said George as she went for a donut.

"So how did studying go last night?" Ned asked.

"About the same as always," said Nancy. "Bess is better at Spanish than she thinks. I think another few hours of studying for chem and I'll be good."

"Same here," said George. "Mr. Erikson always has brutal tests."

Just then, Bess made her way back down to the group and grabbed a donut out of the box. "Thanks for breakfast, but next time give us a little warning."

"We tried," Dave muttered. "Four times!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Nancy saw something flash. She turned to see the message light on her phone blinking. Nancy looked and saw that she had missed a message from Deirdre Shannon.

As the others kept talking, Nancy listened to the voice mail.

"Nancy, it's me. Deirdre. I know you're not exactly president of my fan club but listen. I need your help. Someone really important to me is in danger. Things are going from bad to worse. People are even saying she's some kind of...witch. Nancy, if you don't help me, I don't think she's going to make it out of this alive."

By the end of the message, Deirdre sounded close to tears. Nancy sighed. "Sounds like I've got another mystery on my hands."

"Again? Didn't you just come back from one in Iceland?" George asked.

"Yeah, it's from Deirdre. Listen to this." Nancy replayed the message for the group.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever heard her sound upset like that," said Ned. "Maybe you better call her back."

"Good idea. I'll be right back." Nancy's phone beeped. "Oh hang on, I've got a text from her."

Did you get my message? There is a flight to Salem in 5 hours that we can catch.

"Looks like I'm headed to Massachusetts...in 5 hours. Sorry everyone, guess I have to go pack."

"Need some help?" Bess asked.

"Yeah you don't want to forget to bring money...again." said George.

"Good point. Sorry boys, we'll pick this up another time."

Ned kissed Nancy and gave her a quick hug. He then snagged a donut and gave her another kiss. "For the road. I love you. Let me know if you need any help."

Nancy smiled. "Of course and I love you too!"

The girls showed the boys to the door and then headed to Nancy's room to get ready.

* * *

"You'd think with all of the cases you take, you would have your bags packed at all times." said Bess as she flopped onto Nancy's bed.

"I can't do that. I never know where I am going ahead of time. I like to make sure I only bring what I need. I don't want to be without a coat if it's cold or have to lug it around if it's hot."

"Good point." Bess rolled around to face Nancy's closet. "Seriously Nancy, you need to go shopping. Your wardrobe could use an update."

Nancy had never been one to care about shopping, however, she could see Bess's point. She had some things in her closet that were either falling apart, more than 5 years old or both. "We can go when I get back. I could use a girls' night."

"That is if you don't get pulled away on a case right when you get back," Bess said. Nancy had only gotten back from Iceland a week ago.

"She can't help when mysteries happen," said George. "But we can be ready to help out. Nancy, have you updated your phone with those apps I told you about? I have another for you to test out."

"It's updated, but I'm not sure there's space for anything else. There's a lot right now as there is." George had begun designing apps that have proved helpful in Nancy's cases. Her favorite was a translator that Nancy could speak into and have it accurately translate what she said into over 100 languages. She could also take pictures of something in a different language and the app would translate it. No more having to carry multiple language dictionaries.

"It won't take up much. It's a new cloud app to back up your pictures and files. It also has a notebook that you can use to keep track of what you find."

"I'm not so sure about the notebook, but the cloud could come in handy." Nancy tossed George her phone.

Bess was rummaging through Nancy's closet. Clothes were flying onto the bed in a heap. Nancy pulled out her trusty suitcase and her backpack. Bess turned to Nancy and said, "Nancy how old is that suitcase?"

"Not sure. It was my mom's."

"Wow, it has really held up over the years. Do you have a necklace that goes with this?" Bess held up a white turtleneck sweater.

"Check the jewelry box on my dresser." Nancy turned towards her desk and began adding items to her backpack. She added her laptop, charger and spare battery packs, a notebook, a few pens, lock picking kit, and a novel. Nancy always brought a book with her for the flight.

"Alright, Nancy. You're all set." George passed the phone to Nancy. "Holey cow, Bess, take it easy."

Nancy's bed was completely covered in clothes. "I just want her to be ready."

"I don't think she'll need those high heels...or that dress."

"You never know. What if Nancy needs a disguise?"

Nancy smiled and shook her head. "George has a point. Let's narrow this down a bit."

* * *

Half an hour later, Nancy was on her way to O'Hare airport. The trio managed to get everything packed up, but Nancy had a small worry that she was forgetting something important. "I don't know what I am worried about. If there really is anything I need, I can get it in Salem." she thought. "This whole trip is a little weird though. Of all the people she could call, Deirdre calls me. She can't stand me and I'm not really her biggest fan either. There must be more to this case than she said on the phone." Nany sighed. Time would tell soon enough why Deirdre called her.

* * *

Deirdre reached the gate and found a spot to wait for Nancy. She had gotten a text from Nancy saying that she was in. Deirdre left Nancy's ticket at the check-in counter. "Where is she?" Deirdre muttered.

Moments later, a familiar redhead popped out from among a crowd of people and made her way to where Deirdre was sitting. The usual sting of irritation that hit Deirdre whenever Nancy was around came and went. She had to try to be nice since she needed Nancy's help. She swallowed. "Thanks for coming, Nancy."

"You're welcome. Hope I can help." Nancy said. There was a palpable tension between the two girls. "So…what's going on? Who is your friend and what happened to her?"

"it's my friend Mei. Her dad and my dad were friends in college, so we grew up seeing each other every time we'd visit. We didn't like each other at first, but we grew on each other over the years. She has albinism, so she kind of makes some people nervous. She got accused of burning down this old, historic house in town and almost hurting the judge's kid. Mei told me she was home but no one else believes her. The building was locked up but people are saying she kidnapped the boy and used magic to get in the house. It's all so horrible."

Nancy was going through her backpack while Deirdre was talking. She pulled out a spiral notebook. "Start from the beginning and tell me exactly what happened. I'll take notes so I can reference them later."

Deirdre retold Nancy everything Mei had said. Once Deirdre finished, Nancy skimmed over her notes to make sure everything was in order and then packed in away again. "I'm going to grab something to eat for the flight. You are welcome to join me or stay here."

"What, you've already solved the mystery? That quickly? Then tell me, who is framing Mei?"

Nancy smirked. "I'm not that good. I'm hungry and I'd like something a bit more substantial than a bag of peanuts. Are you coming?"

"Fine."

The two girls got up and began their hunt for food. They walked into a nearby store to stock up on food for the flight. A few minutes later, they paid and got in line to board the flight. In a few hours, they would begin one of the most dangerous mysteries Nancy has ever had.


	3. Chapter 2: The Flight

Nancy read her book until their boarding group was called. Deirdre had spent the time fidgeting with everything, unable to settle down. Nancy could understand the feeling. If something had happened to Bess or George, Nancy couldn't rest until things were made right. She decided to let Deirdre be restless for a while. Sometimes, you just had to work through the worry so that you can get to figuring out a solution to the problem you were worried about.

Finally, their boarding group was called. The girls gathered their things and made their way through the line to the plane. The gate agent said, "Off on another investigation, Miss Drew?"

Deirdre shot Nancy a look. Nancy answered, "Yes in Massachusetts this time. It's great to see you, Sally. Are your kids doing well?"

"Yes! Thanks for remembering them! Enjoy the flight and best of luck!" Sally the gate agent waved Nancy on.

Deirdre caught up with Nancy and gave her another look. Nancy rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Why are you always so happy? Seriously I see you and I just go 'ugh.' It's annoying."

"What? Would you prefer I complain and snap at people? I see the workers here a lot and sometimes spend hours waiting for flights. Talking to them helps pass the time."

The girls reached their seats and Deirdre began settling in. "Must be nice to have such a perfect life. Perfect boyfriend, perfect family, adventures all over." She continued muttering under her breath.

"Are you serious?" Nancy said as she buckled her seatbelt. "My life isn't as perfect as you think it is, but if you were nice maybe you would see how imperfect it can be! But no, you just take every chance you can to be rude to my friends and I. I know you are worried about your friend, but that's no excuse to be mean." Nancy sighed.

"Sorry I don't swoon over you like everyone else does."

"Yeah pretty sure all of the people that have tried to kill me or frame me were swooning over me."

Deirdre looked Nancy dead in the eye. "You don't understand. It should have been me in your place. I should be the one traveling all over the world, meeting cute guys, saving whatever special artifact from thieves, not you. You stole the life I could have had." Deirdre's voice was getting louder. "Now I have to put up with my parents comparing us and I can't even help my friend without your help. I never get a break!"

Nancy stared at Deirdre. "How did I steal her life?" she wondered. "What are you talking about, Deirdre? Stole the life you could have had?"

Deirdre scoffed. "I could have just as easily found that will. Emily could have called me. I heard she had called you and I went to see if I could find the will first. I was this close before you swooped in and ruined it! I would've been the hero and been able to travel the world doing amazing things."

"You're right."

"What?!"

"You're right. It could have been you. You could have just as easily found the will. Things just didn't work out that way. I didn't know you were looking for the will too." Deirdre stayed silent. "Well, now is your chance I suppose. Teaming up could change things for you." Nancy said thoughtfully.

"You think so, huh?"

"It's possible, but not for sure. If you had told me before that case that I would become a detective, I would have laughed at you...now? Heck, I think anything's possible."

Deirdre half-smiled. "Okay, Drew. Let's see what happens."

Nancy reached into her bag and pulled out two Koko Kringle bars. "In the spirit of cooperation, let's have some chocolate."

The two girls dug into their candy bars, both lost in thought.

"So what do you normally do at this point?" Deirdre asked. "In the investigation, I mean."

"Well, there's not really much to do at this point. I have to start talking to people there in order to piece together what happened." Nancy paused a moment. "Sometimes I'll go over what I know about the case or I'll think through my cover...sometimes I research more about the place I'm going on my computer. Other times I read or do puzzles."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much. I'm not Sherlock Holmes or anything like that. I'm going to need to learn more about the fire than just what you told me."

Deirdre smiled at that. "I love that show! I wish they made episodes more. It's a pain waiting so long between episodes."

"I don't mind, actually. Gives me time to catch up if it comes out while I'm on a case."

"I'm surprised you watch that show. I think it would be boring for someone like you. It's probably pretty predictable."

"Ha! Not at all. One thing I've learned is to expect the unexpected. What episode's your favorite?"

The girls continued to talk TV as the drink and snack carts went by. As the girls sipped their pop, Deirdre asked, "So where do we start with all of this?"

Nancy took another sip of her 7up. "Well, normally I like to set up contact with the person or people who hired me. In this case, it would be the Parris family, right?"

"Yes, but my parents are going to set us up in a hotel. They didn't want us to get underfoot at their house."

"Makes sense. Once we're set up, we can do a number of things. We can investigate the crime scene, interview the victim, or interview witnesses. We'll need to establish Mei's alibi too. After that, try to figure out what happened."

"That's a lot."

"Yeah, I know." Nancy smiled. "But, we can do it. It's definitely not the weirdest case I've been on...at least so far."

"How do you even do all of this? Do you get paid? Do you get a stipend or something? Got a secret sugar daddy?"

Nancy laughed at that last one. "Well in a few situations, my dad has paid for me to go; however, usually if someone is calling me, they'll pay for the bare necessities: room and board, transport, etc. In other cases, I find odd jobs to do. I've even sold flowers during one case."

"You don't bring money? Just in case?"

"Not really. I find a way to get by."

Deirdre gaped at Nancy. "You're crazy! Who goes on trips without some sort of cash? What if you get stiffed by your clients? What if you don't find odd jobs? What'll you do? Starve? Sleep on a park bench? And your dad's okay with this? Heck, Ned's okay with this? Do you at least get money for doing all of this? You don't do this for free, do you?"

Nancy hesitated. "I haven't really run into those problems. My dad doesn't really know about the money situation, but he did make me promise to accept payment if it is offered. Ned has gotten after me about bringing money. I don't ask for payment. I just like helping people." She ended with a small smile.

"You're really not helping your case in why I shouldn't dislike you. Seriously, who travels abroad without money?" Deirdre grumbled.

Conversation died between the two for a while. Nancy took the time to practice her observation skills. People watching was an important aspect of investigating. In the nearby row, a young mom wrestled with her toddler. The toddler had been trying hop off her mom's lap and go running down the airplane. Nancy could see the shadow of exhaustion on the mom's face. The young lady looked up and saw Nancy watching. She flushed. "I'm so sorry! She's not normally this wild on the plane."

"Don't be sorry. I understand. If you need a hand, let me know. I'm happy to help." Nancy said.

The lady thanked her and Nancy continued her people watching. Most people were sleeping or surfing the internet. A few people were reading novels. Deirdre was listening to music at a volume loud enough to be heard through her headphones. Nancy rummaged through her bag and pulled out a book on the Salem Witch Trials and began to read.

Captain Reynolds was reviewing some paperwork when Lieutenant James came barreling through his office door. "Easy Lieutenant. What's the rush?"

The lieutenant paused until he caught his breath then said, "It's an update about the Danforth case. Chief McGinnis from the River Heights PD phoned to let us know that a Nancy Drew is coming by to do an investigation of the incident. He says not to worry about it. She'll pretty much stay out of our way."

"Nancy Drew, huh?" Captain Reynolds had read about some cases the teen detective had solved. She was pretty successful. "Sounds good to me. We could use a fresh set of eyes."

It had only been a day since the event occurred, but the police were already hitting a dead end. The whole event was so absurd. A young boy is dancing in the streets and then winds up in a burning building with no recollection of what happened or how he got there. No evidence about who could have started the fire. Based on the story of the Danforth boy, people were in the streets demanding that he take in that Parris girl. True, she was a bit creepy and her albinism didn't help, but being creepy doesn't automatically make you a criminal. Captain Reynolds figured that if this Drew girl could help put a peaceful end to this whole situation, it couldn't hurt to have her check everything out.

"Lieutenant, any idea which airport this girl is coming in from? I want one of us to meet her for a debriefing and to make sure she has a way to communicate with our office."

James huffed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, sir." He turned to leave, but Reynolds called him back.

"Is there a problem with my request, lieutenant?" Reynolds was giving him the stare down.

"Actually, yes there is sir." James turned around and stormed to the desk. "I don't think we need the help of some kid. We've solved weird cases like this before."

"None of those cases had dead ends, James. Yeah, they seemed out of the ordinary, but there were actual clues to follow. This case? _Nada_." Reynolds slapped his desk for emphasis.

"And how's some untrained teen gonna help us out? Eh, boss?"

The captain smirked. "You'd think you would've learned after 15 years on the force. Never underestimate anybody. You never know how they're going to surprise you."

Lieutenant James turned towards the door. "Whatever you say, boss. Still, think you're wrong, but we'll see who's right soon."

"Lieutenant." Captain Reynolds called sharply. "You go make contact with the Drew girl. Be the liaison for the department. Maybe she'll show you a thing or two."

The man paused. Reynolds could see him shaking. Moments crept by when finally he heard a low growl. "Whatever you say. You're the captain."

With that, he left. The captain shrugged and thought, "this'll be good for the boy. He needs to be knocked down a peg or two...or six."

Lieutenant James was a hard worker and committed officer. He could spend more time on an investigation than the average officer. The problem? He was cockier than sin. The only thing arrogance brought was a one-way ticket to trouble and Lieutenant James's arrogance got him into a lot of sticky situations. Reynolds was hoping this Nancy Drew girl could teach him a thing or two about what it takes to be a detective.

Nancy and Deirdre both exited the plane looking a bit worse for wear. Deirdre checked with one of the attendants to find out which baggage claim they had to go to. Nancy turned her phone on. She sent a text to Ned, Hannah, and her dad to let them know that they had arrived safely. Moments later, a text from Ned came.

"Surprise waiting for you at baggage claim."

Nancy furrowed her brow. What could the surprise be?

"Move it, Nancy. I want to get to the hotel before I'm old."

The two girls made their way through the crowd to the baggage claim. Nancy was lifting her flower-printed suitcase off the conveyor belt when someone shouted, "Nancy!"

She spun around to see three familiar figures coming towards her and Deirdre. Deirdre turned to see who Nancy was looking at. Ned was walking with Frank and Joe Hardy. Deirdre asked, "Did you know they were coming?" She paused. "Looking at your face, I'm guessing nope."

"This must be the surprise Ned texted me about." Nancy waved.

Joe bounded up to the girls. "Hey, Nancy! Is this that girl, Deirdre? Ned told us all about the arson case. Any suspects yet? Have you ever been to Salem?" Joe said all this in one breath.

Joe Hardy was always high energy. His brother, Frank, had always been more low key.

"Gee, Joe. Give Nancy a moment to breath will you?" Frank turned toward Deirdre. "Sorry about my brother. You must be Deirdre. Ned was

catching us up on everything on the plane. I'm Frank and the annoying ball of energy is my brother, Joe."

The corners of Deirdre's mouth were threatening to turn upward in amusement. "Nancy, did you know these three were going to be here?"

"Nope. Complete surprise. So what are you guys doing here? Big investigation?"

"Oh, you know it!" Joe said. "A travel company wanted us to look into Jenna Ravencraft. She runs a local paranormal tour agency. They are considering featuring her in their Go Salem campaign, but there are too many roomers going around. They want us to check it out."

"We figured you would be heading off on an investigation soon, so we thought we'd invite Ned along," Frank added patting Ned on the back.

"Alright, enough of this. Nancy, we have bigger fish to fry." Deirdre began pulling Nancy towards the rental car desks.

Nancy wiggled out of Deirdre's grip. "Hang on just a second, will you?" Nancy turned back towards the boys and called, "What hotel are you staying at?"

"There's a Marriott nearby the travel company set up reservations at," Frank called. "You?'

"Same," Deirdre answered for Nancy. "Now if you don't mind?"

"We can catch up later," Ned said as they approached. "Let's get the cars and check in first."

"About time," grumbled Deirdre as she filled out paperwork.

As the group worked on the rental agreements, Nancy noticed several flyers advertising a Halloween festival in Salem. The festival would take place over the course of several days, culminating with a Halloween ball at the town hall.

Deirdre nudged Nancy. "Hey were you listening? I said I've got the keys. We can go...Nancy?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I found this." Nancy handed the flyer to Deirdre. "We may want to go to some of this. It will give us a chance to question any leads that the Parris family have without looking too suspicious."

"Okay, if you think it'll help. The car is just outside. You coming?"

The girls made their way outside. The brisk October air sent a shiver up Nancy's spine. Thick, grey clouds blocked out any sun that may have been out. Nancy smiled. Autumn was her favorite season and the weather was ideal. "Hopefully I will be able to enjoy myself a bit while I'm here." Nancy thought as the girls climbed into the rental car and sped off to the hotel. However, something told Nancy this case was going to be harder than it seemed.


End file.
